Probe into police response to call from elderly man found dead

CHRIS MARSHALL

A watchdog has launched an investigation into the police response to a call from an elderly man who was later found dead.

It is believed several hours lapsed between the initial call from the 72-year-old and his body being found at a sheltered housing complex in Inverness in October.

The Crown Office has asked the Police Investigations & Review Commissioner (PIRC) to look into the incident.

A PIRC spokesman said: “The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) has instructed the Police Investigations & Review Commissioner to undertake an investigation into the initial police response to a call from a 72-year-old man who was later found dead at a sheltered housing complex in Inverness on Thursday 27 October.

“A report on the commissioner’s findings will be submitted to the COPFS in due course.”

PIRC is an independent organisation not connected to the police.

Its role is to undertake independent investigations into the most serious incidents involving the police and to provide independent scrutiny of the way police bodies operating in Scotland respond to complaints from the public.

A police spokeswoman said: “Police Scotland is aware of the PIRC investigation and is fully engaging with the process and will await the findings.”

Earlier this year, the PIRC launched an investigation into the way police dealt with the case of a man who was found dead in his Edinburgh flat.

The body of Andrew Bow, 36, was found by officers in East Crosscauseway in March.

Neighbours said they had raised concerns about his safety a week before Mr Bow was found dead.

The PIRC later submitted a report to the Crown Office in connection with the case.

In a separte case last year, officers took 20 hours to respond to a call about 88-year-old Douglas Iggulden, who was found dead at his home in Portobello.